The Game Awards 2017 nominees were revealed this morning. This year's most popular games have, unsurprisingly, taken nominations in many categories. This year, Horizon Zero Dawn, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Destiny 2 were each nominated in six categories.
Other popular games included Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (five nominations), Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (four nominations), Persona 5 (four nominations), and Cuphead (four nominations). Nintendo had the most nominations of any publisher with 23 nominations across the 29 categories.
The nominations process
The nominees are chosen by a panel of 51 media and influencer outlets. The panel then votes on potential nominees for each category. The five games with the most votes are then listed as nominees. In the event of a tie (which occurred in one instance this year), it will be the top six games. Unlike many awards ceremonies, the best performance category is not divided by gender. This year, there are four female nominees and only one male.
After the nominees are selected, voting begins. Voting is open to the public. Interested gamers can vote on Twitter, Facebook, or The Game Awards website. The award show will be broadcast through live streaming platforms like Twitch, Facebook Live, and Youtube.
Gaming news outlets will be covering the show and the results. The Game Awards airs at 8:30 PM ET on December 7, 2017.
Nintendo's many nominations
With two of the four most nominated games being released by Nintendo, it seems likely that the Japanese company will take a fair amount of the awards. In addition to Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo produced Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run, both mobile games.
Additionally, they had a hand in creating every game in the Best Handheld Game category.
Nintendo has had a great year. Between the release of the Switch and multiple award-nominated games, 2017 is starting to look like the year of Nintendo. Critics and gamers alike have praised Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo's two most prominent games this year.
The Switch is an innovative console, and Nintendo has combined this innovation with classic Nintendo style. The releases this year show precisely why Nintendo has been a formidable force in the gaming industry for decades. Nintendo is in the ideal position to sweep this year's awards ceremony.
